News From West Bengal : The BJP, which has been escalating the Sandeshkhali problem, and the ruling Trinamool have become more involved in the political blame game as a result of the development.
A lady has claimed that someone connected to the BJP forced her to sign a blank document before writing a false rape report in her name, adding another twist to the Sandeskhali controversy. The incident has escalated the political blame game between the BJP, which has been using the Sandeshkhali issue to its advantage during the election season, and the ruling Trinamool.
Speaking to the media, a Sandeshkhali resident claimed that a woman named Piyali called the National Commission for Women’s team visiting the island to voice their grievances. “I informed them that we had not been paid under the terms of the 100-day job program. I didn’t have any other complaints; I just wanted the money. There was no rape. The woman claimed, “She (Piyali) made us sign on a blank sheet,” and that she later learned that she was included on a list of women who had accused local Trinamool leaders of rape.
The daughters-in-law of the woman charged Piyali with slandering Sandeshkhali. “She is not from here; she is an outsider who speaks loudly. How she knows everything about everyone here is a mystery to us. She would initially only participate in these protests. We discovered later that she is a member of the BJP. She ought to be disciplined for deceiving and ensnaring us. They remarked, “I’m sure more people were duped in this way. The woman claimed that since coming out against Piyali, she and her family have started to get threats.
After local party leaders were accused of rape, land grab, and extortion, the Trinamool Congress, which was already in the dark, quickly picked up on the woman’s accusations and charged the BJP of fabricating tales to discredit the ruling party for political advantage.
The “courageous women of Sandeshkhali for daring to speak out against them” are being threatened by the BJP, according to Trinamool MP Sushmita Dev. “How much longer will this party persist in spinning webs of deceit, shamelessly trampling on the dignity of our mothers and sisters for their own political greed?” she said.
Retaliating, the BJP said that Trinamool’s accusations were an attempt at damage management that was made too late. Priyanka Tibrewal, a party spokesperson, stated that the Trinamool must realize that lamenting over spilled milk is pointless. “Why is Trinamool answering at this time? Why did they remain silent for two or three months? Having claimed that the women of Sandeshkhali were lying earlier, they are now claiming that they were coerced into lying. Whatever harm was necessary has occurred. Without fire, there is no smoke,” she said to NDTV.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, is among the BJP politicians against whom the Trinamool Congress has now filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that they have made false accusations in the Sandeshkhali case.
When locals accused strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his cronies of harassing them in February, the unremarkable island in North 24 Parganas made headlines. After being on the run for more than a month in connection with a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate investigators who were looking into him, Shahjahan—who has since been sacked by the Trinamool Congress—was taken into custody. He’s now in the custody of the CBI.
A local BJP leader’s video began making the rounds last week, adding a startling twist to the Sandeskhali controversy. In the video, Gangadhar Koyal was allegedly seen admitting that there had been no rapes or instances of sexual harassment in Sandeshkhali and that women had been persuaded to report these incidents by Mr. Adhikari.
Both the BJP and the leader featured in the video have asserted that his voice was modified and the tape was doctored.